A Breton Gleaner

A Breton Gleaner, created by Paul Gauguin in 1886, is a significant drawing classified within the French school of the period 1876 to 1900. Executed in soft pastel on laid paper, the work showcases Gauguin’s immediate interest in traditional rural subject matter found outside of Paris. This piece is technically important because the sheet is carefully squared in blue pastel, a preparatory method used by artists to assist in transferring or accurately scaling up the composition for a larger canvas, a mural, or a related print edition. This preparation suggests that the drawing served as an essential study for a potentially grander project, though no direct successor painting is definitively known.

The subject, depicting a lone gleaner gathering scraps after the harvest, directly reflects Gauguin’s deep immersion in traditional, non-industrialized life found in the northwestern French region of Brittany. Done just prior to Gauguin’s pivotal stylistic shifts towards Symbolism and Synthetism, this drawing captures the solemnity and laborious existence of the peasant class, a common and admired subject among realist and developing Post-Impressionist artists of the late 19th century. Gauguin utilizes the velvety texture of the pastel medium to achieve a nuanced, earthy palette. However, the figure is already rendered with a solidity and slightly heavy contour that moves beyond the pure optical experimentation of Impressionism, anticipating the bolder, more simplified forms characteristic of his mature style.

This critical example of Gauguin’s transitional years resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., where it offers valuable insight into the artist’s evolving aesthetic during the time span of 1876 to 1900. The cultural significance of this French work ensures its continuous documentation and study. Furthermore, as key historical studies such as A Breton Gleaner age, their underlying imagery frequently enters the public domain, allowing institutions and private collectors to access archival materials and high-quality prints for scholarly use.